Intraspecific morphometric diversity of barramundi (Lates calcariferBloch, 1790) in the waters of southern Bangladesh

A total of 160 barramundi's (Lates calcarifer Bloch, 1790) sampled from four rivers (Tentulia, Balaswar, Bakkhali, and Andarmanik) along the southern coastal region of Bangladesh were investigated in terms of morphometric characters to reveal the intraspecific variation. Twenty-five morphometric measurements were extracted using the conventional method and subjected to multivariate analyses (i.e., principal component analysis (PCA), discriminate function analysis (DFA), cluster analysis (CA)) to distinguish individuals from different rivers. The result demonstrated that twenty-two out of 25 measurements was statistically significant (Univariate ANOVA) among all four populations. PCA analysis of morphometric characters resulted in two principal components, PC I and PCⅡ which accounted for 79.25% and 4.28% of the total data variance. PC I-PC Ⅱ plot explained 83.53% of total variance differentiated the population of L. calcarifer into two groups. Discriminate analysis correctly classified about 88.1% of the examined fish into the four areas. The UPGMA dendrogram showed that Bakkhali populations were the most morphologically different populations in comparison to other populations, while Andarmanik and Balaswar populations were very close to each other. The strong morphometric variation between Bakkhali and Tentulia, Andarmanik and Balaswar was observed in the present study, suggested the evidence of the separate stock population of barramundi in these locations, which might require distinct stock management strategies for resource sustainability in the waters of southern Bangladesh. However, if these findings are supported by further molecular markers and geometric morphometry, this would be a strong indication of different stocks of this population in the four rivers of southern Bangladesh.     

Hydrochemical characteristics and quality assessment of shallow groundwater in a coastal area of Southwest Bangladesh

In this study, the hydrochemical characteristics of shallow groundwater in a coastal region (Khulna) of southwest Bangladesh have been evaluated based on different indices for drinking and irrigation uses. Water samples were collected from 26 boreholes and analyzed for major cations and anions. Other physico-chemical parameters like pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and total dissolved solids were also measured. Most groundwater is slightly alkaline and largely varies in chemical composition, e.g. EC ranges from 962 to 9,370 μs/cm. The abundance of the major ions is as follows: Na⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > K⁺ = Cl⁻ > HCO₃ ⁻ > SO₄ ²⁻ > NO₃ ⁻. Interpretation of analytical data shows two major hydrochemical facies (Na⁺–K⁺–Cl⁻–SO₄ ²⁻ and Na⁺–K⁺–HCO₃ ⁻) in the study area. Salinity, total hardness, and sodium percentage (Na%) indicate that most of the groundwater samples are not suitable for irrigation as well as for domestic purposes and far from drinking water standard. Results suggest that the brackish nature in most of the groundwaters is due to the seawater influence and hydrogeochemical processes.     

Occurrences of damaging earthquakes between the Himachal and Darjeeling Himalayas: Tectonic implications

Detailed analysis of intensity for ten damaging historical earthquakes in the central arcuate belt between the Himachal and Darjeeling Himalayas was carried out in the backdrop of isoseismal eccentricity, source depth and Indian plate obliquity. Results indicate that the elongated axes of the isoseismals and strike of ruptures for shallow earthquakes are almost parallel with strike of the Himalayan arc, and clearly conformable with the obliquity. An empirical power law relationship between eccentricity and focal depth established under the present study illustrates that the deeper events are more influenced by the bending of the penetrating Indian lithosphere, whereas the shallower events are principally controlled by the obliquity. A positive correlation between eccentricities and obliquity obviously supports this inference. The present study further reveals that the constant decrease in Indian plate obliquity from Himachal to Nepal-Bihar Himalaya is well compatible with the graben structures and horizontal shearing along this arcuate segment.     

A multi-isotope approach (O,H, C,S, B and Sr) to understand the source of water and solutes in some the thermal springs from West Coast geothermal area,India

The West Coast belt, consisting of nearly 60 thermal springs, is one of the most diversified geothermal fields in India. The present work describes the multi-isotopic (O, H, C, S, B and Sr) characterization of thermal waters carried out in the Tural-Rajwadi geothermal field, situated in southern sector of the west coast geothermal area. The aim of this study is to delineate the origin of thermal water as well as to ascertain the sources of carbon, sulphur, boron and strontium dissolved in those thermal springs. The stable isotopes (δ²H and δ¹⁸O) and tritium data indicate that these thermal springs are not recently recharged rain water rather, it contains very old component of water. Oxygen-18 shift is observed due to rock-water interaction over a long period of time. Carbon isotopic composition of DIC points out to the silicate weathering with soil CO₂ coming from C₃ type of plants whereas δ³⁴S of dissolved sulphate confirms the marine origin of sulphate. This marine signature is basically derived from paleo-seawater possibly entrapped within the flows. Boron isotopic data reveals that both the seawater and rock dissolution are the sources of boron in the thermal waters whereas high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7220–0.7512) of the thermal waters conclusively establishes that archean granitic basement is the predominant rock source of strontium, not the Deccan flood basalts. In addition, like strontium, concentrations of lithium, rubidium and caesium are also governed by the rock-water interaction. Thus, the combined use of this multi-isotope technique coupled with trace element concentrations proves to be an effective tool to establish the sources of solutes in the thermal water.     

Environmental impact assessment on water quality deterioration caused by the decreased Ganges outflow and saline water intrusion in south-western Bangladesh

 This paper deals with an environmental impact assessment of low water flow in the river Ganges during a dry period at the Khulna and Mongla port areas in south-western Bangladesh. Large-scale surface water withdrawal in India after commissioning the Farakka Barrage causes a drastic fall in the Ganges low-flow condition within the Bangladesh territory during every dry period. The average lowest discharge in the Ganges is 552 m³/s, which is about 73% less than that in the pre-Farakka time. This has caused the deterioration of both surface and groundwater quality of the study area. Salinity is the principal cause of water quality degradation in the area. Present observation shows that the surface water of the area is sulphate-chloride dominated, which signifies high salinity whereas the groundwater is categorized as of medium to high salinity. To maintain the Rupsa River's maximum salinity below 1000 μS/cm the discharge in the Ganges should be ∼1500 m³/s, whereas that at Garai basin is ∼10 m³/s. If this present situation continues it will be a crippling blow to the environment of the area in the long term. An integrated multidisciplinary approach to hydrogeological research is urgently required to salvage the area from further deterioration. Received: 9 August 1999 · Accepted: 8 March 2000     

Hydrobiological variables as a regulatory factor on the abundance of heterotrophic flagellates in an urban pond

The seasonal abundance of flagellates has been monitored over a period of 1 year from December2013 to November 2014(divided into 4 conjugative seasons namely winter, spring, summer, and autumn) in an experimental pond located in Rajshahi City Corporation area, Bangladesh. To our knowledge, this study is the first to shed light on the occurrence and possible interrelationships among heterotrophic flagellates(HF),bacteria and zooplankton in Bangladesh and the result obtained by this study will be beneficial for similar water ecosystem all over the world. Standard methods were used to determine the prescribed hydrological parameters and zooplankton cell density. Maximum HF abundance(14 346.00 cells/mL) was found in the spring and the minimum(5 215.00 cells/mL) occurred in the summer. Inverse to HF, significantly(P0.05)higher zooplankton abundance was found during the winter(782.00±47.62 cells/mL) and the lowest value was found in the autumn(448.00±39.15 cells/mL). Whereas similar to the HF, total bacterial abundance was significantly higher during the spring((2.25±1.05)×10~5 cells/mL) and lower in the summer((0.79±0.06)×105 cells/mL). Multivariate analyses(ANOSIM and MDS) have shown significant seasonal differences for cell numbers where MDS ordination plot and cluster analysis based on similarity in the genera abundance of HF revealed overlapping condition between winter and spring. Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA) also showed a distinct separation among the genera based on the prevailing hydrological situation and indicated that temperature, pH, BOD_5, and NO_3~- were the most important environmental variables in determining the observed variation in HF community structure. Among the biological factors, zooplankton showed negative but total bacteria were positively correlated with HF abundance.     

Fuzzy neural network models for liquefaction prediction

Integrated fuzzy neural network models are developed for the assessment of liquefaction potential of a site. The models are trained with large databases of liquefaction case histories. A two-stage training algorithm is used to develop a fuzzy neural network model. In the preliminary training stage, the training case histories are used to determine initial network parameters. In the final training stage, the training case histories are processed one by one to develop membership functions for the network parameters. During the testing phase, input variables are described in linguistic terms such as ‘high’ and ‘low’. The prediction is made in terms of a liquefaction index representing the degree of liquefaction described in fuzzy terms such as ‘highly likely’, ‘likely’, or ‘unlikely’. The results from the model are compared with actual field observations and misclassified cases are identified. The models are found to have good predictive ability and are expected to be very useful for a preliminary evaluation of liquefaction potential of a site for which the input parameters are not well defined.     

Sedimentary and geochemical evidence of Eocene climate change in the Xining Basin,northeastern Tibetan Plateau

The northeastern Tibetan Plateau began to grow during the Eocene and it is important to understand the climatic history of Asia during this period of so-called ‘doubthouse' conditions. However, despite major advances in the last few decades,the evolutionary history and possible mechanisms of Eocene climate change in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau remain unclear.The Xining Basin in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau contains a continuous sequence of Early to Late Eocene non-marine sediments which provides the opportunity to resolve long-term climate changes during this period. In this study, we report the results of analyses of lithofacies, sediment color and geochemistry of bulk samples collected from the Xijigou section of the Xining Basin. An abrupt lithofacies change between the Early(~52–40 Ma) and Late Eocene(~40–34 Ma) indicates a change in the depositional environment from a shallow lake to a playa lake in response to a significant climatic shift. During ~52–40 Ma,higher values of sediment redness(a*), redness/lightness(a*/L*) and higher modified Chemical Index of Weathering(CIW′)indicate a relatively warm and humid climate, while from ~40–34 Ma the lower values of a*, a*/L*and lower CIW′ imply subhumid to semi-arid climatic conditions. The paleoclimatic records indicate a long-term(~52–34 Ma) trend of decreasing chemical weathering, consistent with global climate change. An abrupt sharp excursion of the proxy records during ~42–40 Ma suggests a relatively brief warm interval, corresponding to the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum(MECO). We suggest that global cooling substantially reduced humidity in inner Asia, resulting in sub-humid to semi-arid climatic conditions after 40 Ma in the Xining Basin, which may have been responsible for the long-term trend of decreasing chemical weathering during the Eocene.     

The structure and evolution of the coastal migrant fishery of Kenya

The current study was carried out over a period of one year to characterise the coastal migrant fishery of Kenya. The study looked at gears and vessels used, and ownership, demographic factors including ages of the fishers and family sizes, migrant activity and resource conservation at two main fishing villages in Kenya; Vanga and Mayungu in the south and north coasts, straddling at 4.663°S and 39.215°E and 3.214°S and 40.135°E respectively. Further, the fishers were categorised with regard to fishing, gear and vessel operation and trade, and evolution upon entry into the fishery was also assessed in order to define fisher-stake in the fishery for resource management and conservation planning. Structured questionnaires were used to interview the fishers, and data and information recorded from 1018 fishers during the survey. Migrants accounted for over 63% of the fishers in the two study sites, with majority of the fishers lying in the 15–45 year age bracket. Dependence level averages at 4–6 person families per fisher. Entry to the fishery was mainly at seamen level, progressing to fishermen and finally to fish dealers (tajiris), with the latter holding >62% capital in the fishery. Resource management in the fishery was low and only 10% of the fishers were active participants in marine conservation and community beach management issues. Fisher migrations were mainly monsoon season-linked (>58%) although social factors such as family location determined to a great extent the expanse of the migrations. The revival of fisheries cooperatives and active participation in community resource management and conservation groups is envisaged as the key to the sustainability of both the marine resources and the economies associated with this high mobility, cross-border fishery.